The purpose of this webpage is to make available to interested researchers and biorepository operators a set of our standard operating procedures for procuring, labeling, banking, and distributing tissues to researchers. We have operated a research tissue bank for over 25 years, and these SOPs represent the cumulative experience of a number of tissue bank technicians, researchers, and physicians who have interacted with this bank during that time. Over the years, we have had a number of inquiries to make our SOPs available to others who were interested in pursuits similar to ours, which is to acquire tissue in a variety of conditions in order to make optimally prepared tissue available to researchers. We are making these SOPs available to allow others who are interested in starting or maintaining a research based biorepository (in contrast to a biorepository for storing transplantable tissues) to review our procedures for their own education. Each SOP and technique described herein must be re-established in each operator’s laboratory before implementation.

Currently, there is no oversight agency that has established standards for research based tissue banks. In our laboratory, we try to follow the General Laboratory Standards put forth by the College of American Pathologists as they apply to our laboratory, but in cases where there is a possibility of misinterpretation of the standard, we have followed our own interpretation of those standards and not sought outside guidance.

This set of SOPs was written based on the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS) format, but has neither been read nor approved by that, or any other, oversight agency. There is no expressed or implied warranty that these SOPs will pass or fulfill any requirements for any agency that inspects or certifies Good Laboratory Practices.

We will make some attempt to keep the SOPs updated; however, we are aware that some SOPs are not available in this collection. There are a variety of reasons for these omissions and we make no apologies.

There are a number of references in these SOPs to trademarked, patented, licensed and copyrighted materials, software, reagents, and pieces of equipment. Their mention and inclusion in these SOPs do not constitute an endorsement on our behalf or on the behalf of Duke University or any of our funding agencies. Again, there is no expressed or implied warranty that their use in any other setting outside of our laboratory will work appropriately. Each SOP and technique must be established in each operator’s laboratory before implementation.

By placing these SOPs on this webpage, we are not advertising that any of our tissues are available by request. A Tissue Committee is the final arbiter of any requests for tissues from this laboratory.